Change of Scenery: Landon Collins goes from New York to Washington

It’s the time of year when we see old faces find homes in new places. Sometimes a change of scenery can be bad, but it also can be good and this case, it’s very good. The Washington Redskins had a position opening at safety after not resigning Ha Ha Clinton Dix, who they traded for at last years trade deadline. They sent the Green Bay Packers a fourth-round pick this year, in exchange. He just didn’t produce the way they hoped, and if you look at the splits, you can see just that. As you will see Ha Ha wasn’t the playmaker for Washington that he had been in Green Bay. While he helps solidify the secondary. It just wasn’t what they hoped to get from him.

With an opening available, the Redskins began to hunt for a replacement, and their timing couldn’t have been better. As free agency approached, their NFC East rival, the New York Giants decided, to almost everyone’s surprise, that they would not place the franchise tag on their star safety, Landon Collins. The Redskins didn’t hesitate and swooped in quickly to get Collins. We all knew he would command a hefty deal and we all know that owner Dan Snyder isn’t afraid to open the checkbook. What’s different about this signing is that it’s a perfect match. Collins gets the big deal he wanted, six years / $84 million contract, with $26 million guaranteed and the Redskins get a star at safety, for the first time since the late great Sean Taylor (May we all take a moment to bow our heads for the superstar R.I.P!).

Moving on, Collins will be a massive addition for the Skins, and they can expect a high reward type of play. In his four seasons in New York, he averaged one hundred seven tackles, eighty solos, five and a half for loss, one sack, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups per season. That doesn’t count the forced and recovered fumbles he also gets.

He will instantly step in and set the tone for the defense and give them stability in the secondary. While he isn’t the best in the passing game, he is an elite playmaker, mainly when used in the box around the line of scrimmage. Hopefully with the new change of scenery, will see Collins energized and return to the elite level of contending for defensive player of the year. Adding Collins not only fills a need for Washington but will allow them to focus on other positions of need in the draft.